Rear tucking mechanism for wrapping machines



E. HAAS sept. 22, 1931.

REAR TUCKING MECHANISM FOR WRAPPING MACHINES Filed Sept.

30. 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet l E. HAAS" Sept. 22, 1931.

REAR TUCKINQ MECHANISM Foa WRAPPING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 30. 1929 INVENTOR.

BY WM MZQ/ ATToRNEYs.

V EA HAAS Sept. 22, 1931.

REAR TUCKING MECHANISM FOR WRAPPVING MACHINES Filed Sept. 30. 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 i INVENTOR. Lw? QM ATTORNEYS.

Patented Sept. 22, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT .oFFicE EDWARD HAAS, F EROOXIYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 PACKAGE MACHINERY C0.,

OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION 0F MASSACHUSETTS REAR TUCKING- MECHANISM FOB WBAPPIN G MACHINES Application led September 30, 1829. Serial No. 396,335. l

This invention relates to tuckingmecha- A nism for Wrapping machines and has particular reference to a mechanism for formlng the rear side tuck in a wrapper on a wrapping machine of the type employing a transporter or so-called four-motion feed. In wrapping 'machines of this type the articles are moved successively along a wrapping channel by a series of fingers referred to collectively as a 1 transporter, and movable in a closed path extending into, along, and back outslde of the wra ping channel. The tucking mechanism of t e present invention is movable with the transporter but parta-kes of a motion of its own so that the rear side tucks on the wrapper are neatly formed and are held in position until succeeding folding operations have been started.

The invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings, in Whichp Fig. l is a partial side elevation of a Wrapping machine of generally standard type 1n which my invention has been embodied;

85 Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1, the top cover plate of the wrapping channel having been removed;

Fig. 3 is a detail section on an enlarged scale taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 1; Figs. 5 to 9 inclusive are diagrammatic side elevations showing successivestages in the operation of the transporter and the rear tucker;

Fig. l0 is a perspectivei'yiewof-a, partially wrapped package illustrating thelnature of the tuck made by the mechanism of my in- -vention;

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary perspective view 4o of one end of the completely wrapped package; and

Figs. 12 to 15 inclusive are top plan views corresponding respectively to Figs. 5 to 8 inelusive.

45 The wrapping mechanism to which my invention is applied may be of any desired type and in its details forms no part of my resent invention. Only so much of the genera wrapping mechanism as is necessary for an understanding of the making of the particular fold with which my invention is concerned will, therefore, be described. The wrapping mechanism is shown as supported on a frame 20 bearing a generally flat bed 2l. In this bed 21 are fornied parallel slots 22 through which extend transporter bars 23, each having a series of fingers 24. Each transporter bar is secured at one end to an upright portion 25 and at the other end to an upright portion 26 of a transporter carrier 27. This carrier is formed to slide upon bars 28 in a direction longitudinally of the machine. To the bars bearings 29 are secured, each pivoted at 30 to a bell crank 31 pivotally secured as at 32 to the frame. The other arms of the two bell cranks are joined together by a link 33 so that they oscillate in unison. To the pivot of one of the bell cranks an arm 34 is secured, bearing at its end a roll 35 running in a groove 36 formed in the face of a cam 37 fixed for rotation upon a main drive shaft 38. As' the shaft rotates the bell cranks are oscillated to cause vertical motion of the bars 28 which always remain horizontal.

The transporterV carrier 27 is caused to slide along the bars 28 by the following mechanism: The upright portion 25 of the carrier is lformed with a Vertical slot 39 in which runs a block 40 carried by an arm 41. This arm is carried on a shaft 42 pivoted in the frame. A second arm 43 islscured to this shaft and has near its end a slot 44 in which a pivot 45 may be adjustably secured. This pivot joins the arm to an eccentric rod 46 having the usual strap passing around an leccentric 47 secured to the shaft 38. Rota- -tion of the driving shaft thus causes the arms 41 and 43 to be rocked and moves the transporter carrier longitudinally along the rails. The combined action of the eccentric and cam mechanisms described causes the trans- .porter to be moved so that any portion of it will describe a path substantially like that shown in dot-and-dash lines at e in Figs. 5

to 8. p When the transporter is moving through' the substantially horizontal upper portion of this path, the fingers 24 are engaged in pushing a series of articles along the wrapping channel. When the transporter follows the remainder of the path the fixigers are drawn down below the wrapping 'channel and pass back underneath the artivthe machine so that it may be easily removed in case the machine becomes jammed. This top plate preferably carries at its center a bow spring 53 bearing upon the articles and serving to hold them yieldably down u on the bed 21. The top plate also carries si e rails 54 which rest upon the article nearits ends and hold the wrapper in place.

Mounted upon the bed of the machine and located substantially beneath the side rails 54 are stationary s1de rails 55 having outwardly projecting extensions 56. The lower part ofthe tubular end extensions b of the wrapper will overlie these side extensions as the article is fed along the wrapping channel by the transporter fingers.

Mounted in suitable journals on the portion 26 of the transporter carrier is a shaft 6D extending transversel Arms 6l are secured to this shaft, one at each side of the Wrapping channel. Rear tucking blades 62 are secured to the tops of these arms as by screws 63 so that they may extend in certain positions of the transporter above the extensions 56, as shown in Fig. 3. One of the arms 61 is provided awith a pin 64 between which and a pin 65 on the transporter is stretched a spring 66. The action of this spring is' to hold the arms 61 yieldably in a vertical position determined by a stop screw 67 on one of the arms bearing against a flattened rod 68 projecting from member 26. j

The arms 61 are moved bodily with the transporter and retain their vertical position except when they are forced out of it by the two devices now to be described. At the rear end of the travel of the transporter the arms are tilted by the following mechanism. One of the arms is provided with a downward extension 69 which bears a. roll 70. The path of motion of this roll brings it against a cam surface 71 formed on a bracket 72 secured to an extension 73 of the bed of the machine. When the roll strikes the cam' surface the 'arms will be tilted as shown in Fig. 5, but the motion of the transporter and of the arms will not otherwise be restricted.

At the end of the forward motion of the transporter the tops of the arms 6l strike against stationary front tucking plates 74 of the machine.'

mounted as shown in Fig. 5, so as to be spaced between the rails 55 and the similar rails 54 carried by the to plate. The rear edge 75 of each of these front tuckers is preferably slightly rounded as shown in Fig. 12, so that it will form the front tuck d, the rear tuck e having already been formed by the blades 62.

The operation of the mechanism described will now be considered. Assuming that an article has been partially Wrapped and delivered between the bed and the to i plate by any'suitable mechanism such as the tumble box illustrated, it will be engaged by the rearmost lingers 24 and moved to the position illustrated in F ig; 12. In this ligure, which corresponds to ig. 5, the article is just being engaged by the second set of fingers, the transporter bein at the rear end of its Stroke@ and rising. t will be observed that the folding blades 62 are brought to the rear of the tubular end extensions of the wrapper by the tilting of the arms 61, and that as the Amansporter moves forwardly the resumption by the arms of their vertical position will cause the folding blades to be moved forwardly relatively to the transporter fingers,

as indicated in Fig. 13. The fingers ano the folding bladesl are both moving forwardly at the time the blades are temporarily given an accelerated motion by the tilting of the arms..

This short forward motion of the blades brings them against the tubular end extensions and forms the tucks e.

The transporter fingers and the blades then move forwardly to a position illustrated in IFigs. 7 and 14, in which the blades strike. against the rear end of the tuclring plates 74.

It will be apparent from Fig. 7 that the transporter has not quite reached the forward limit of its travel, the path c being in these figures the path of the center of the shaft 60. During the remainder of the forward travel of the transporter the finger 24 which is engaging the article will be moved relatively ahead of the rear tucking blades 62, this stave being indicated in Figs. 8 and 15. The tucing blades remain stationary because of their contact with the stationary folders 74 and of course cause the arms 61 to tilt rearwardly as is apparent-in Fig. 8.

The excess forward motion of the transporter fingers over the motion of the tucking blades is sufficient to carry the article into full engagement with the folders 74 (see Fig. 15) so that both tucks Z and e are firmly held before the blades 62 are moved out of engage ment, and also removes the blades 62 from engagement with the tucked end of the package. As the transporter starts its downward and rearward movement the blades 62 will slide down over the rear surface of the folder 74 until they finally snap under it. Fig. 9 shows the transporter at an intermediate p0rtion of its rearward travel, this view merely indicating the position of the fingers and of the folding blades below the wrapping channel and out of the way of the articles.

What I claim is:

1. A wrapping machine having a folding channel, a linger-bearing transporter movable in a closed path into, along, and back outside of the channel, and a folding blade movably mounted upon the transporter and constrained for a movement generally partaking of the movement of the transporter but having an initial travel along the channel fastener than the transporter fingers to forni a tuck in the projecting portion of a wrapper carried by said fingers, and a terminal movement less than that of the transporter fingers to cause it to be withdrawn from contact with the tucked wrapper ends.

2. A wrapping machine of the type having a folding channel and a finger-bearing transporter movable in a closed path into, along, and back outside of the channel, comprising an arm pivoted upon the transporter, a folding blade carried by the arm 1n position to form an end Luck in an article in said channel, a stop on the transporter limiting the movement of the arm and bla'de in one direction, a. spring normally holding the arm against the stop, an abutment positioned for contact with the arm at the rearward end of the travel of the transporter for tilting the arm and thereby shiftingthe blade rearwardl with respect to the transporter lingers, an a stationaryfolding member positioned in the folding channel so as to be struck by the blade at the forward end of movement of the transporter whereby the article being wrapped will be moved ahead of the blade.

3. A wrapping machine of the type having a folding channel and a finger-bearing transporter movable in a closed path into, along, and back outside of the channel, comprising a folding blade yieldably mounted upon the transporter, and abutments positioned to shift the blade rearwardly with respect to the transporter at both ends of the transporters travel.

4. A wrapping machine of the ty e having a foldingfpchannel and a linger-bearing transporter nivable in a closed path into, along, and back 'outside of the channel, comprising a folding blade movably mounted on the transporter and nlfggally positioned so as to project into the channel to a point slightly in advance of one of the transporter ngers, and a device constraining the blade for movement relative to the transporter so that when the transporter moves into the channel at the start of its movement along the channel the blade will be temporarily held to the rear of said finger.

In testimony whereof I have aixed my signature.

EDWARD HAAS. 

